1. Field of the Invention
Probiotics are beneficial microorganisms naturally existing in the gastrointestinal (GI) tracts of humans and animals In 1906 Dr Metchnikoff described that the long life-spans of people in Bulgaria and the Russian Steppes had were traceable the consumption of large amounts of beneficial bacteria The term, probiotic is used to refer to these beneficial bacteria Many probiotics provide health benefits such as the amelioration of symptoms of antibiotics-induced diarrhea, acute diarrhea, traveler diarrhea, allergies, respiratory and urinary tract infections inflammatory bowel disease, irritable bowel syndrome, colon and bladder cancer, and rheumatoid arthritis. (Doron and Gorbrach, 2006; Goldin and Gorbrach, 2008, and Kaur et al 2009)
2. Description of the Related Art
Since Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus were among the first probiotic bacteria described by research scientists to provide health benefits to both animals and humans, they are the most common choices for commercial probiotic products Unfortunately, most of Bifidobacterium spp and Lactobacillus spp are sensitive to elevated temperatures and/or oxygen exposure (Taiwalkar, Kailasapathy 2004) It is, therefore, often recommended that probiotic products containing Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus be stored at cold temperatures and to avoid the term exposure to air These requirements impose substantial challenges to methods for manufacturing such products since, during processes of product manufacture, storage, transportation, and product display, the materials and product are often be exposed to higher temperatures and ambient air.
The ability of Bacillus spp to form endospores under unfavorable conditions renders them as naturally heat tolerable lactic acid bacteria. These endospores can maintain bacterial viability under elevated temperature greater than 100° C. Bacillus subtlis which are used in many Asian countries can, therefore, be good candidates for inclusion in probiotic products Unfortunately, Bacillus spp contain deadly harmful pathogens such as B. antracis (anthrax) (Madigan and Martinko, 2005), and B. cereus (food poisoning) (Kotiranta et al 2000) There exists, therefore, the potential danger of transferring pathogenic genes from highly pathogenic B. antracis or B. cereus into probiotic B. subtlis. 
Pediococcus is a beneficial bacteria naturally existing in human and canine gastrointestinal (GI) tracts (Kim Adachi, 2007), and has been used as the starter for the fermentation of human sausage preparations. Unexpectedly, Pediococcus can be selected to survive at temperatures up to 65° C. Such selected bacteria are able to grow under both aerobic and semi-aerobic conditions, and, therefore, are much less sensitive to oxygen exposure. More importantly, Pediococcus is much less sensitive to stomach acidic environments (Mizutani et al, 2007, Lin and Ishida 2008).
Probiotic products and fermented foods are rapidly growing in importance as the public awareness of their benefits continues to increase Most probiotic products are commercially available as either food or dietary supplements, which seem to be more diverse and active than other areas where probiotics have been used, such as in dairy products The supplements come in many different product formats and contents, including capsules, liquids, tablets, and even food-like formats (Messonnier 2001). In order to accomplish the manufacturing and packaging of these probiotic bacteria, it is very essential to overcome certain industrial challenges such as the typically elevated temperatures and high pressures that are employed during the manufacturing process (Bauser et al 2003). For example, cat, dog and small animal food is usually available as pellets which are manufactured by either baking or a process called, extrusion. During the extrusion process, cut dough or a mixture of raw materials is fed into an expander, while pressurized steam or hot water is added. If extruded kibble is exposed to air for too long or not properly stored, the fats and oils added after cooking can become rancid, and vitamins and minerals in the food may be destroyed by heat during storage or shipping Therefore heat plays a significant role in both the manufacturing processes and also in the storage and transportation of the finished products, making it vital to develop a strain that can withstand such elevated temperatures and high pressures.
In this study, we provide an optimized strain of Pediococcus acidilactici (deposited in the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) Patent Culture Collection (International Depositary Authority; 1815 N. University St.; Peoria Ill.; 61604; USA) on May 24, 2011 as NRRL B-50517 and identified as IMPH101) that is viable above 65° C., is able to grow in a pH range between 1 and 6.2, and is also able to grow in aerobic and anaerobic conditions. This will increase both the efficiency of the methods for manufacturing probiotics and the integration of probiotics into food/feed manufacturing processes, which often require high temperatures. In addition, the temperature resistant probiotics can be utilized in conjunction with food or beverages that require high temperatures to prepare such as coffee, tea or hot vegetable/meat soups for human consumption Moreover, these novel bacteria will enable the development of probiotic supplements or functional foods that have the ability to survive extreme conditions such as gastric acid, rigorous temperatures of manufacturing and also have extended shelf-lives. IMPH 101 is representative of strains referred to throughout the specification as IMPH.